China Launches Shijian 16 ELINT / SIGINT and Yaogan 18 SAR Satellites

Within a week, China has added two more satellites to its network of military satellites. The first on October 15th was Shijian 16, the next-generation of electronic / signals intelligence (ELINT / SIGINT) satellites.

The Shijian 16 is the first of a new series that will succeed the Shijian 6 series, which consisted of four pairs with two satellites each. The Shijian 6 satellites were launched between 2004 and 2010.

The second satellite to be launched was the Yaogan 18 on October 29th. The Yaogan 18 is a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite, similar to Yaogan 6 and Yaogan 13 that preceded it.

The SAR satellites complement imagery provided by other Yaogan satellites equipped with an optical payload. They tend to have lower resolution, but do not suffer from some of the restrictions that limit the latter.

First Five T-84 Oplot-M / BM Main Battle Tanks From Ukraine Ready For Thailand

The Malyshev Plant in the Ukraine has finished the first five Oplot-M / BM Main Battle Tanks (MBT) for Thailand. A total of 49 tanks were ordered in 2011 for about 7.2 billion Thai baht or $230 million.

The T-84 is a derivative of the T-80 developed during Soviet times, which replaces Russian components with Ukrainian versions and several other upgrades such as a welded turret, Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armor and a Shtora-1 countermeasures suite.

The Oplot version features a host of changes such as a western style turret with compartments for both the crew and ammunition to improve crew survivability. This version retains the 125 mm KBA-3 smoothbore gun, but it has a bustle-mounted autoloader. A 120 mm gun compatible with NATO rounds is available an an option.

The latest version of the Oplot is the Oplot-M or Oplot BM which features even more improved armor and various upgraded electronics. The Oplot-M MBT will replace the M41 tanks in Thai service and up to 200 Oplot tanks may eventually be acquired.

US Preparing to Sell $10.8 Billion in Weapons to Saudi Arabia and the UAE

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) is seeking approval from the United States Congress to sell $10.8 Billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which has been in the works for some time.

The package is noteworthy because it includes several weapons types that will be exported to these countries for the first time. It will give both countries a level of precision strike that previously did not exist.

The package for Saudi Arabia is worth $6.8 billion and includes:

• 650 AGM-84H Standoff Land Attack Missiles-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER)
• 973 AGM-154C Joint Stand Off Weapons (JSOW)
• 400 AGM-84L Harpoon Block II missiles
• 1000 GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB)
• 40 CATM-84H Captive Air Training Missiles (CATM)
• 20 ATM-84H SLAM-ER Telemetry Missiles
• 4 Dummy Air Training Missiles
• 60 AWW-13 Data Link pods
• 10 JSOW CATMs
• 40 Harpoon CATMs
• 20 ATM-84L Harpoon Exercise Missiles
• 36 SDB Captive Flight and Load Build trainers

UK Orders 200 Starstreak Surface-to-Air Missiles

The United Kingdom has ordered 200 Starstreak Surface-to-Air Missiles from Thales for Very Short-Range Air Defense (VSHORAD). They are to be delivered in 2014 to increase existing stocks.

The Starstreak High Velocity Missile stands out by taking a different design approach compared to other contemporary missiles by among others utilizing semi-automatic line-of-sight laser beam riding.

It is very different from designs developed by other countries such as the United States, Russia and China. Notable differences include:

• With a maximum speed of Mach 3.5, the Starstreak is almost twice as fast as its competitors which usually travel below Mach 2.
• Starstreak missiles are laser-beam riders, unlike others that often rely on a infrared seeker for guidance.
• The Starstreak uses submunitions with three darts, unlike other missiles with unitary warheads.

Compared to more traditional peers such as the Stinger, SA-18/24 and FN-6, the Starstreak has its advantages and disadvantages.

Romania Signs Contract For 12 Used F-16 From Portugal

Defense minister Mircea Dusa, the Romanian Defense Minister, has officially signed a contract with Portugal for used F-16A/B fighter aircraft. The total contract is worth 600 million Euro of which the first installment of 100 million has been paid.

The aircraft itself are worth 186 million Euro while the rest will be spent on support infrastructure, training, spares, weapons and so on. Nine Romanian pilots and 69 maintenance technicians have begun their training.

The nine F-16A single-seat and three F-16B dual-seat aircraft will be upgraded and modernized before delivery will begin in 2015. A full squadron is expected to be ready to enter service by 2017 where they will replace the Russian MiG-21 Fishbed.

Oman Receives First Khareef Class Corvette

The first Khareef class corvette build by BAE Systems in the United Kingdom, the Al Shamikh, has arrived in Oman. A total of three hulls were ordered for £400 million ($637 million) in 2007.

The Al Shamikh was launched in 2009 but experienced several problems and technical issues during construction. For example, there were several personal injuries during a test firing of the gun in 2012.

The various difficulties have significantly delayed delivery from the original date which was planned to be 2010. The two subsequent ships were to be delivered at six months intervals. The Al Shamikh is now expected to be commissioned in 2014.

Besides the Al Shamikh, the Al Rahmani and Al Rasikh have been launched and are currently conducting sea trials. Specifications of the diesel engine powered Khareef class include:

• Length of 99 m
• Beam of 14.6 m
• Draft of 4.1 m
• Displacement is 2660 tonnes
• Speed of 25 knots
• Range of 4500 miles
• Endurance of 21 days

French Air Force Receives First Tranche 4 Rafale Fighter Aircraft

The French Air Force has received the first two Rafale fighter aircraft of the sixty that are to be delivered as part of Tranche 4. The Trache 4 aircraft were ordered in 2009 to bring the total number of aircraft contracted for to 180.

These two dual-seat aircraft brings the total number of Dassault Rafale fighters currently in service to 122, consisting of:

• 38 Rafale M single-seat aircraft of the French Navy
• 40 Rafale B dual-seat aircraft of the French Air Force
• 44 Rafale C single-seat aircraft of the French Air Force

The latest target is for France to ultimately have a total of 225 Rafale aircraft, which is significantly less than previously hoped for.

The sixty Tranche 4 aircraft will be of the F3R standard. The preceding 120 aircraft were build to three different standards:

• The F1 standard: limited to air-to-air combat only. All were naval Rafale M aircraft and will be upgraded to the F3 standard.
• The F2 standard: are also capable of ground attack with various precision guided munitions and other upgrades.
• The F3 standard: capable of nuclear attack with ASMP missiles, naval strike with Exocet missiles and other upgrades.
• The F3R standard: various upgrades and improvements such as compatibility with long-range Meteor air-to-air missiles, RBE2 software upgrades and SPECTRA improvements

 

First Chinese 052D Destroyer Conducting Sea Trials

China has begun sea trials of the first 052D destroyer that will succeed the six 052C destroyers that preceded it. The ship still needs to have some equipment fitted, but largely confirm an earlier assessment made compared to the 052C destroyer.

The 052D destroyer is basically an improved version of the 052C using the same hull design and propulsion already introduced with its predecessors. Most of the changes are centered internally around the weapons, sensors and other equipment.

The new 64-cell Vertical Launch System (VLS) lacks the shared exhaust found on the previous hot launch VLS design of the 054A class, indicating its support for combined hot and cold launch.

The 052D may be the first ship to be commissioned with such an ability, although other Navies also look set to introduce similar capability. The traditionally hot launch American MK41 VLS was recently used to launch a cold launch Sea Ceptor missile using a special adapter.